This morning is for you mama! Think of it as a mini retreat – workout, brunch, connect, and learn from experts in postpartum wellness.

We are so excited to host this MAMA RECHARGE for you. You have so earned this!

We’ll kick the morning off with a yogalates-style postpartum workout led by The Mamatrainer, Claire Gray. Claire is a Kinesiologist and Certified Pre + Postnatal Coach dedicated to supporting local mamas through private exercise and nutrition coaching. Our amazing hosts will provide yoga mats and a water station so all you have to bring is your water bottle and your beautiful pre or postpartum body.

The workout will be followed by a nourishing brunch provided by Monica Nelson, Certified Nutritional Practitioner and founder of Raíz Holistic Nutrition a meal prep company focused on postpartum meal prep. Monica is going to provide an educational postpartum nutrition talk to make sure you have all the tools to optimize your postpartum recovery.

We’ll wrap up with a Q&A with both Claire and Monica – this is an opportunity to ask all of those burning questions you have.

Raíz Holistic Nutrition and Chef Sasha K are excited to present a unique four course plant-based dinner for the community of San Miguel de Allende. On Saturday, April 6th at Via Orgánica on Calle Margarito Ledesma 2. The menu is inspired in traditional mexican ingredients such as huitlacoche and zucchini blossoms “flor de calabaza,” with a plant-based twist.

]]>Chicos Yelapa Pop-Up Dinnerhttps://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/chicos-yelapa-pop-up-dinner/
https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/chicos-yelapa-pop-up-dinner/#respondThu, 28 Mar 2019 18:36:08 +0000https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/?p=28951On Saturday, March 23rd, we had the pleasure to cook a four course dinner at Chicos Yelapa Beach Club in the wonderful beach town of Yelapa, Cabo Corrientes in Mexico in collaboration with Chef Sasha K. We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to cook at Chicos, and we are looking forward to […]

]]>On Saturday, March 23rd, we had the pleasure to cook a four course dinner at Chicos Yelapa Beach Club in the wonderful beach town of Yelapa, Cabo Corrientes in Mexico in collaboration with Chef Sasha K. We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to cook at Chicos, and we are looking forward to hosting another dinner there in April.

The owner of Chicos Yelapa, Tatiana Rodríguez-Anderson stated, “This is the first pop-up dinner that we host of its kind. We have always wanted to have guest chef’s come in and cook for our guests, and we are excited to have Monica and Sasha come back to do more dinners.”

Tatiana also stated that she is looking towards creating a more plant-based menu for her restaurant and was very excited to offer a (mostly) plant-based menu as part of this pop-up dinner experience for her guests. The menu consisted of a four course plant-based menu, with the option to have red snapper al pastor or a cauliflower steak al pastor as a main. Below you can see the full four course menu:

The dinner was attended by Yelapa seasonal residents, friends from Puerto Vallarta and a few special guests from Vancouver, BC. And was photographed by the talented Ale Luca Photography.

Below you can see some beautiful photos of the vibe that was created that evening. Guests expressed that it was a lovely evening, with delicious food and great conevrsation. That is what keeps us doing these kinds of dinners, bringing people together around the dinner table, to have great conversations while experiencing delicious, intentionally made food.

Guests around the dinner table, enjoying great food and good conversations.

Solstice Pop-up Dinner Puerto Vallarta

Raíz Holistic Nutrition had the pleasure of hosting a four course pop-up dinner in
Puerto Vallarta to celebrate the Winter Solstice at boutique Hotel San Trópico in Marina Vallarta.

It was such a pleasure to host a dinner in my hometown, to cook with ingredients that are native to the region, ingredients that take me back to my roots. While showcasing the possibilities of plant-based cusine to an audience that may or may not be used to eating plant-based.

Raiz Holisitc Nutrition Winter Solstice Dinner Guests

Four Course Plant-Forward Dinner

Appetizers

Golden beet tartare canapés with healthy bites beet chips

Eggplant caponata on vegan burrata and toasted baguette

Stuffed crêpe purses with portobello mushrooms and créme.

Salad

Fig and arugula salad with toasted walnuts and crumbled cashew chevre

Entrée

Almond Ricotta stuffed zucchini blossoms with pesto zucchini noodles

Dessert

Vegan cheesecake with raspberry compote, star fruit and pomegranates

The event was sponsored by Mezcal Amores, a mezcal brand that is “made with love.”

“Mezcal Amores was founded in 2010 by a group of friends who, after making several trips to the different states of the country, slowly immersed themselves in a world that filled them with smells, flavors and traditions and fell in love with, what they think is, the best distillate in the world. They realized that Mezcal was not well known and appreciated, so they decided to create Amores/Amarás, a sustainable and conscious project, to share the passion, devotion to the roots of Mexico and share it to the world.”

“From the day it was born, Mezcal Amores’ reason for existing is its Philosophy. The goal is to create win-win relationships from the field to the final consumer, producing a high quality Mezcal. The Amores Philosophy starts with the love for our roots, with the mindset of taking care of the land, its ecosystem and the people who work it.”

Given the love for their Mexican roots, taking care of the land and sustainability, this partnership felt natural as Raíz Holistic Nutrition is all about going back to our roots and connecting with the land and the food that fuels us. This is also why, I was inspired to host a dinner in my home-town of Puerto Vallarta, making use of traditional ingredients, such as zucchini blossoms or “flor de calabaza. The use of flor de calabaza in Mexican cuisine, dates back to prehispanic times.

We really enjoyed hosting this dinner in Puerto Vallarta and are looking forward to hosting more dinners in Vancouver and in Mexico alike.

Success!

]]>What is Holistic Nutrition? Part 1https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/what-is-holistic-nutrition/
https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/what-is-holistic-nutrition/#respondSun, 14 Oct 2018 23:12:42 +0000https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/?p=82The post What is Holistic Nutrition? Part 1 appeared first on Raiz Holistic Nutrition.
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In holistic nutrition we use an integrative approach to wellness. We don’t only look at what foods that one eats, we also look at other environmental, social and emotional factors that could be influencing imbalance or dis-ease. Holistic nutrition is all about looking at the body as a whole, taking all aspects of being into consideration, which include the physical, emotional, social and spiritual elements of a person’s life.

The reason why we are interested in the body as a whole in our practice as holistic nutritionists is because we know that all systems in our body are interconnected, and if one part is not in harmony, other areas of our body will be affected.

In other words, in this field we are interested in the mind-body-spirit connection and how our thoughts and emotions can influence physical bodily imbalances. We are aware about how all the systems in the body work together.

For example, if we live under constant stress, our body overproduces cortisol, which is a steroid hormone that helps us respond to stress and performs other important functions in the body. Overproduction of cortisol can lead to imbalances in other systems, such as blood sugar imbalance, weight gain, immune system suppression and gastrointestinal problems.

The good news is that through a holistic approach, we can help manage and increase the body’s ability to cope with stress in order to mitigate all those effects.

Nutrition – Works on the physical level

As nutritionists we use our knowledge about food sources, healing herbs and supplementation for optimal health, preventative health and to support healing processes of the body.

As mentioned in my example above, constant stress leads to immune system suppression. Through appropriate nutrition and supplementation we can support our bodies capability to manage stress and boost immune function.

Some foods that are support our ability to cope with stress are red bell peppers and broccoli, as they are rich in vitamin C. Red bell peppers actually have twice as much vitamin C than oranges.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, it helps reduce inflammation produced by stress response, boosts immune function and helps lower cortisol and helps us cope with stress.

Nuts and seeds are a great source of B-vitamins, which get depleted with stress. Studies suggest that dietary supplementation with B vitamins is an effective solution to combat occupational stress.

Incorporating adaptogens into our diet and routine is also a great way to manage stress. Adaptogens are healing herbs that help the body adapt to stress and balance cortisol levels. One of my favourite adaptogenic herbs is ashwaghandha, which helps lower blood sugar levels, reduce cortisol, boosts brain function and helps soothe feelings of anxiety.

Emotional Aspect of Holistic Nutrition

As mentioned, in holistic nutrition we also look at the emotional factors that influence a person’s life. We can share strategies to be able to cope with stress on an emotional level such mindfulness practices and lifestyle changes.

This may be a foreign concept for some, but it is said that the disease first manifests in the emotional body and then materializes in the physical. This means that when emotionally triggering events happen in our lives, and we don’t heal or resolve them, they can have a potential to give rise to physical disease (dis-ease, meaning that the body is out of ease).

Some holistic nutritionists may have additional designations to help coach you through this emotional aspect, beyond suggesting lifestyle recommendations. Such designations can include holistic counseling, somatic therapy, reiki, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and more. Alternatively, they can refer you to a professional who can help you in these areas.

These are just two aspects of holistic health that we look at as nutritionists, which contribute to overall health and well-being. In my following post you can read about how community and environmental factors affect our health and ways in which you can optimize these two areas of your life.

]]>https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/what-is-holistic-nutrition/feed/0What is Holistic Nutrition? Part 2https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/what-is-holistic-nutrition-part-2/
https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/what-is-holistic-nutrition-part-2/#respondSun, 14 Oct 2018 23:12:35 +0000https://www.raizholisticnutrition.com/?p=81The post What is Holistic Nutrition? Part 2 appeared first on Raiz Holistic Nutrition.
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As I mentioned in my previous post, holistic nutrition is all about looking at the body as a whole. How nutrition affects our body is only one piece of the puzzle. We also focus on the emotional, social and environmental aspects of life, that contribute to our overall health and well-being.

In this post I will be speaking of the social and environmental aspects of holistic health.

Social and Community Aspect of Holistic Nutrition

As holistic nutritionists we also strive to help our clients to live happier lives, which can be achieved by addressing the emotional aspect as I just mentioned above, but happiness and a sense of satisfaction in life is also linked to having a sense of community.

Have you ever heard of blue zones? Blue zones refer to areas of the world in which people have low rates of chronic disease and live longer than anywhere else. What these areas have in common is that people have a sense of community and a healthy social network, they have a sense of purpose, the incorporate exercise into their daily lives and primarily eat a plant-based diet, but not exclusively.

People in Blue Zones generally live happier and longer lives, because they incorporate all aspects of holistic nutrition in their lives. Having a sense of community is a large aspect of this.

I find that in our western culture, we have learned to be so individualized and have in a way, lost our sense of community. Some tangible ways on how to create a greater sense of community are: connecting with neighbours, sharing meals together with family and close friends, joining a group that that shares your same interests, and actively participating in them.

A holistic nutritionist can help you uncover your interests and seek the things that bring you joy, so that you can find a community group that suits your needs.

Environmental aspect of holistic nutrition

In the practice of Holistic Nutrition, we also look at the individual as part of a whole ecosystem. We are not single beings in a bubble, we are human beings that are a part of a whole network and there are many environmental factors that affect our health and wellbeing, one of them being community, as I just mentioned.

In holistic nutrition we look at our food systems and we promote eating food that comes from the earth, instead of food coming out of a package. That is why my company is called Raiz, which means root in Spanish. Back in the day, there wasn’t wide-spread chronic disease, the people lived off the land and didn’t eat processed and pre-packaged food. Raiz is just that, is focusing on going back to our roots, connecting with our food sources, our farmers, eating seasonally and/or growing our own foods.

There are so many environmental factors that affect our food sources, like pesticides and gmo crops, as well as factory farming. If we look at our body like a bucket, we can think about all the things that we put in it and the things that we absorb as a result of our environment, such as:

The idea of this bucket analogy is that if we keep filling it with all these different things, eventually it will get full and overflow. This overflow is symbolized as disease manifesting in the body. That is why in holistic nutrition we work together to mitigate all these environmental factors and help the body reach optimal balance and prevent disease.

Some of the ways in which we can be more aware of our food sources and mitigate the toxicity of what goes in our bodies is by going to farmers markets and connecting with our farmers. Buying organic foods that are not sprayed with pesticides, I know that sometimes this is more of a luxury, I would encourage you to look at the dirty dozen list and the clean fifteen, which show which fruits and vegetables to be more concerned about to buy organic.

Factory farming is a big environmental and ethical issue affecting our food sources due to animal cruelty, deforestation and the use of antibiotics and hormones. In the last years there has been a significant shift of people going vegan and vegetarian for these reasons. It doesn’t mean that if you see a holistic nutritionist, they will make you go vegan, no. But as holistic nutritionists we will educate you on why its important to not support factory farming, for ethical and environmental reasons, but also for your health. Eating grass-fed and pasture raised meats and wild caught fish, you are not supporting factory farms and you are ensuring that you are putting the best quality animal proteins in your body, that are antibiotic and hormone free. I would recommend connecting with your local butcher and finding out more about where their meat comes from and what it is being fed, and whether it is antibiotic free.

These are just some resources and ways in which you can mitigate what goes into your body and foster a healthier you, from the inside out.

I hope that this post helped you understand a little bit more about what holistic nutrition is and how a holistic nutritionist can help you. We work with you on all aspects that make you a human being and we understand that the body is highly connected, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually to help you live a healthier and happier life.

At Raiz Holistic Nutrition we are incredibly passionate about cooking and feeding people with the highest quality ingredients, from whole food sources, that come from the earth.

We not only have meal prepping services, but we also cook for private dinners and can be hired to cook at your retreat. Whether it be company team building retreat, health and wellness retreat or simply a friend’s weekend away we can create a menu that suits your needs.

We accommodate all diets and are always happy to make modifications if there are any dietary restrictions.